Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-06-24
Mexican Children.
HOW PARENTS BROUGHT Up THEIR OFF
SPRING IN MONTEzUMA's TINE.
Hubert Howe Brancrot, History Of the Pacific


HOW PARENTS BROUGHT Up THEIR OFF
SPRING IN MoNTEzUMA's TINE.
Hubert Howe Braneroft. history Of the Pacific
Ststes.
In series Of ancient Aztec paint
ings, which give hieroglyphical his
tory Of the Aztecs, are represented the
manner in which children were
brought up, the portion of food al
lowed them, the labors they were EN-
ployed in, and the punishments re-
sorted to by parents for purposes of
correction. This work passed into the
possession OF the historian Sam Pur-
chas, who had woodcuts made from
the original and published them, with
explanatory texts, for the benefit of
science and learning. In that part of
the work, which relates. to the bring
ing up and education of children, a
boy and girl with their father and
mother are depicted. Three small
circles, each of which represents one
year, show that the children are three
years of age, while the good counsel
they are receiving issues ,isibly from
the fathers lips. Half an oval divided
in its breadth shows that at this age
they were allowed half a cake of bread
at each meal. During their fourth
and fifth years the boys are accus-
toned to light bodily labor, such as
carrying light burdens, while the girl
is shown distaff by her mother and
instructed in its Use. At this age
their ration of bread is a whole cake.
During their sixth and seventh years
the pictures show how the parents be-
gin to make their children useful.
The boy follows his father to the mar
ket place, carrying light load, and
while there occupies himself in gath
ering up grains of corn or other trifes
that happen to be split about the
stalls. The girl is represented as spin
ming, under the close surveillance of
her mother, who lectures and directs
her at the same time. The allowance
of bread is now cake and half, and
continues to be so until the children
have reached their thirteenth year.
We are next shown the various modes
of Furnishing unruly children. When
eight years old, they are merely shown
the instruments of punishment as
warning. At zen, boys who were dis
obcdient or rebellious were bound
hand and foot and pricked in different
parts of the body with thorns. Girls
were only pricked in the hands and
wrists. If this did not suffice, they
were beaten with sticks. If they were
unruly when eleven years old, they
were held over pile of burning chile,
and forced to inhale the smoke, which
caused great pain. At twelve years of
age a bad boy was bound hand and
foot and exposed naked in a damp
place during an entire day. The
naughty girl of the same age was
obliged to rise in the night and sweep
the whole house From the age of
thirteen years the allowance of bread
was increased to two cakes. Between
the ages of thirteen and fifteen the
boys were employed in bringing wood
from the mountains by land or in ca
noes, or in catching fish. The girls
spent their time in grinding corn,
cooking and weaving. At fifteen, the
boys were delivered to the priests to
receive religious instruction, or were
educated as soldiers by an officer.